Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said he had undergone treatment for prostate cancer and is now in good health.

In his first public disclosure of the illness, the 76-year-old leader said he had prostate surgery around a year and a half ago. He added that doctors later found a small tumour about two and a half months ago, which was treated with radiation therapy at Hadassah Hospital.

Netanyahu said he chose to delay announcing the treatment.

“I requested to delay its publication by two months so that it would not be released at the height of the war” against Iran, he said, adding that he wanted to avoid “more false propaganda against Israel.”

He described the tumour as a minor issue and said he is now healthy.

His health had been widely speculated about earlier during the conflict with Iran, especially after fake, AI-generated images circulated online falsely claiming he had died.

Aharon Popovtser, head of the oncology unit at Hadassah Hospital, said the cancer was detected early and noted that prostate cancer is common among men of Netanyahu’s age.

“Based on the test results, we can say the disease has disappeared,” he said, referring to medical imaging and blood tests.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is currently leading the country through conflicts in Iran, Gaza and Lebanon.

He has faced criticism in the past for not sharing details about his health. Earlier, he revealed that he had a pacemaker fitted to treat a heart condition about a week after he fainted at a public event.